Paper Title
QUANTITATIVE SAFETY EVALUATION OF THE VALVE GUARD USED FOR TANK VEHICLES

Abstract
Abstract - Tank vehicles are widely used in the industries for transporting liquid cargos. A valve guard is usually a necessary device mounted on the vehicle for protecting the valves from the damages possibly caused by the transportation and operation of the tank and the vehicle. This research intents to assessing the safety and reliability of valve guard used for tank vehicles via a quantitative approach. A numerical model with finite element method is established in the research, and numerical analyses are performed with consideration of various loading conditions reflecting the operation of the tank and the tank vehicle. The tank design and manufacturing follow the corresponding ASME codes and safety assessment is conducted as per the regulation CSA B620, specified for highway tanks and TC portable tanks for the transportation of dangerous goods. The research results provide the engineers and researchers a methodology and a practically sound technique for quantitatively evaluating the safety of the valve guards used for transporting liquid cargos which can be hazardous in practice. Keywords - Safety Assessment, Finite Element Analysis, Tank Vehicle Valve Guards, Damage Protection, CSA B620, Tank Vehicles, Pressure Vessels